Charlotte Mason is back in action!

In the past couple of years, our homeschool has made quite a change and it has blessed us immensely.   We are beginning our fourth year following a methodology set out by Charlotte Mason, which has been a beautiful change.  For those who do not know, Charlotte Mason was a British educator who lived from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.  She believed in educating the whole child versus just filling his mind with dry facts.  She encouraged a whole feast to be set before the child -- good literature, beautiful artwork, poetry and music that speaks to the soul, and much outside time to live in creation, notice creation, and appreciate creation.  She, also, emphasized good habits in the life of the child. 

She wrote the most nourishing set of books that laid out parenting strategies and her educational method.  Only problem, for the last 10 years, these volumes haven't been in print.  During this out-of-print time, though, the movement has picked up and people have been clamoring for her words.  Thankfully, Simply Charlotte Mason (an already established company) has been working hard on a beautiful new reprinting.  

In great celebration of the republication, a wonderful blog, Charlotte Mason Soiree, is raffling off a WHOLE set of the books!  Check it out, because even if you don't follow her methodology, I guarantee her parenting wisdom will be balm for the soul.

Go here to enter!

Gratitude Journal - Day 10

January 28   A witnessed blessing.

Emily has always been a puzzle fanatic, but recently took the jump up to 500 piece puzzles.  I'm amazed at the patience she is developing, as these puzzles take her a couple of days to complete.  She has such determination and does not get overwhelmed.  It has been so wonderful to watch this journey and be able to witness the awe that comes when she gazes at her finished product.

Gratitude Journal - Day 9

January 27   A gift about your home. 

When we first moved into our house, we were convinced that there were no young kids around.  It took over a year to finally see we were not alone.  It's amazing how you can go so long without seeing neighbors passing by, but all it takes is a mere second to miss each other in passing.  It has only been in the past year that we have really become close to one neighbor.  A 6 year old girl lives two houses down, and my girls have the most wonderful time playing with her.  Especially in this season of moving, most afternoons are spent frolicking around with Eleanor.  We will definitely miss this gift, and hope the Lord provides some wonderful new neighbors at our next home.

Gratitude Journal - Day 8

January 26   A gift found in the dark.

James often gets lost in his own world, which I guess is a good thing when you have two older sisters who are consumed with dressing up and doll tea parties.  I found him the other day playing in my dark room all by himself.  It was laundry day and we was busy playing in my comforter, with a make-shift shovel, and his truck close by.  Don't you wonder what goes through their head sometimes?  It is so sweet to have a boy in the house and see what he naturally gravitates toward.  Hopefully our new house will bring a little boy as a neighbor, so they can play their make-believe games together.

Gratitude Journal - Day 7

January 25   A gift on a paper.

We are in the process of moving to Virginia to start a new adventure with our family. My husband has been working in his new job since October while the kids and I have waited behind for our house to sell. We FINALLY are under contract and can begin to pack up and say our goodbyes. As sad as it is to be leaving our wonderful friends, we are excited to be a whole family again. Pulling out the wrapping paper and writing on boxes was such a relief after months of playing the waiting game. We can finally move forwards, knowing that the move is soon!

Gratitude Journal - Day 6

January 24   A gift found in someone you love. 

Our little Olivia is a delight to be around. She has a great smile, a great laugh, and is full of energy. This energy is often a point of contention, though. Being the almost 5 year old that she is, she does not quite know how to control it. She is always bumping into people, or walls, just because she is such a fast-paced little girl. She often gets in trouble and is told to calm down constantly. I know this is a beautiful blessing that the Lord has given her, though. We work hard to cultivate this energy and passion for life, so hopefully one day, she can use it to her benefit.  

I also love this picture because of the smoothie sitting on the table. It is so fitting for this prompt. She has the best eating habits of all my kids, and I love to see what she chooses to put in her body. Her favorite snacks are carrots, almonds, and smoothies packed full of kale. I definitely cannot say the same for my other kids.  

Gratitude Journal - Day 5

January 23   A gift in the kitchen. 

Since Clare is the fourth baby to grace this household, we have had a wide variety of temperaments to experience. Clare is quite easy and a delight to be around during the day, but the evenings get challenging, especially when I am getting dinner ready. My husband, Daniel, has been in Virginia for 3 months now in his new job while we wait for the house to sell. Dinner has to be made, since I have other mouths to feed, so Clare ends up crawling on the floor in the kitchen chasing after me and crying. In an attempt to appease her, I have a whole line-up of interesting kitchen tools to give her, but sometimes you have to bring out the big guns. As a last resort, I always know that a little playing in the refrigerator will bring me some moments of sanity.

Gratitude Journal - Day 4

Day 4   A gift of song.

Our second daughter, Olivia, loves music. So much so, that for Christmas, she chose an iPod over her first American Girl, which is what her sister was getting. We were blown away. This is the girl who sings wherever she goes and yells for music to be turned up in the car. We should have seen it coming. She spotted some Frozen earphones at Old Navy one day, and I somehow managed to purchase them without her knowing. Then, we cleared my old iPod and put kid-friendly music on it, as well as some audiobooks. Since then, she often walks around the house rocking out to her jams. I love this sweet stage, along with the sweet music that comes with it.

Gratitude Journal - Day 3

Day 3   A gift found in a friend.

Before there are fights, pushes, and hurtful words, there are big grins, squeals, and open mouth kisses. The novelty has not worn off of having a baby sibling, despite Clare being 10 months. This results in the older kids using a lot of high pitched voices and always hamming it up to get a response. In her own little world, these are her people. These are her friends. These people are her life. As they pass by the window, playing outside, Clare lights up with delight. Oh, to live such a simple life.

Gratitude Journal - Day 2

Day 2   Something old, seen new.

Today was our weekly park day with our homeschooling friends.  My kids usually split off and hang out with their own friends, but today was the rare occasion when I saw them all together.  The girls were traversing this jungle gym feature at lightning speed.  Back and forth, back and forth they went like old pros.  The whole time, sweet little James just hung on for dear life, motionless, in one place.  You see, while the girls danced around exhibiting experience, just getting to the first hanging island was James mountain to climb.

Gratitude Journal - Day 1

A 21-day gratitude journal.  To catch those small moments in life where you find beauty...

Day 1   A gift held, passed by, or sat with.

A gift held - an apple slice
A gift passed by - the warm sun that slowly made its way across the room after some very cold days
A gift sat with - Our sweet, kid-tolerant, pup

Oh, my sweet baby James.  He really is sweet, but the furthest thing from a baby.  He seems to fly under the radar in this house.  For a boy, he isn't that rambunctious and he stole his mommy's heart long ago.  Quiet and loving?  "Okay, you can have whatever you want."  This does make for a shy personality at times, especially when the camera it out.  I felt this picture was so fitting with the light hiding him -- probably where he felt most comfortable.

A Day in the Life

I'm attempting to get back to my camera this year.  I rarely pick it up because of life these days.  In many ways, my iPhone has become a crutch.  It's always with me, so I jump to using it for everything.  My kids deserve something more from their childhood than Instagram books, and it would be nice to have some up-to-date pictures around our house.  The most recent picture on our walls is from when James was 6 months old.  He turned three in December.  There is just no excuse.  We have so many wonderful memories and I would love to remember those while I walk around our house.

With the decision to be more intentional taking pictures, I signed up for the Everyday Beauty photography workshop with Ginger Unzueta.  She has such an eye for seeing the beauty all around her, and I'm always entranced by her images.  She makes the most mundane instances absolutely beautiful.   Turns out, when you only pick your camera up for about 3 occasions a year, you become a little rusty.  I'm hoping this will be a good refresher to kick off a more intentional year.  I will be sharing some of my work here.  I completely forgot how to edit, so we will worry about that later.  Right now, I'm just trying to stop and develop and eye for the moment.  Let's hope we see progress!

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5 things I learned by reading through the Bible in 90 days...

To gain interest in the Facebook group that will be reading through the Bible together, I am slowly posting the 5 lessons I learned while reading through the Bible.  I hope, that by spacing my posts, the Lord will nudge some people to join us.  I truly believe that it is a worthwhile venture for every Christian!

Five Lessons I Learned While Reading Through the Bible in 90 Days

1. It added a whole new depth to the Bible.  Did you know the Bible was one long story?  I mean, really know?  I started seeing outside of the different Bible studies I had done, and started reading one story, a love story, written by one author, God.  He started with creating the world and he ends it all his son, Jesus Christ, standing front and center receiving all glory and honor from creation.  You can easily tie all the events together because they are fresh on your mind.  I mean, can you imagine taking any other book off your bookshelf and reading it spread out over a full year, and for some people a full lifetime? 

2.  I saw how the Bible was all connected.  This goes along with number one, but we have all done Bible studies that have linked this passage with that, but it was amazing to discover these connections on my own.  It was incredible to come across foreshadowing and have other things to tie it to, or get to the New Testament and realize I had just read (literally) the same thing back in the Old Testament.  It was the Lord speaking directly into my life showing me how he truly orchestrates everything for his purposes.

3. I fell in love with the Old Testament.  I always just thought it was a boring old book with a lot of history. I knew there were some stand out books, including Psalms, which I love and receive so much comfort from. It obviously, also, has a lot of wonderful Bible stories that provide countless craft opportunities for preschoolers. I actually fell in love with those “boring old books,” though. I think when I saw them all connected, all bringing the Lord glory, I realized how crucial they were to history, to God’s story, and to my own faith. I tracked the kings and saw the Lord forgive the Israelites over and over and over and over. I grew frustrated by their stupid relapses and realized that it was the Lord showing me areas of sin in my life that I constantly gave in to. I’m currently reading through Revelation in a Bible study, and I am amazed at all the insight my Old Testament reading is still bringing me from three years ago!

4. I saw how much fluff there was in my life to cut out.  I knew I was busy my first time around and I was wondering how I would carve out roughly 45 minutes a day to read my Bible. I mean, sure that is easy for a day, or a week, but for 90 days? I had already cut out a lot of fluff (unnecessary things that really don’t contribute to my overall well-being) in my life just by becoming a parent, but I realized there was even more to be cut out. You even realize secret time pockets hidden throughout your day to spend brief moments filling up on God’s words. Remember the Lord’s words from Luke 10 that few things are needed, only one indeed. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the laundry or housework that was let go. It took commitment, but I knew it was a worthy cause. It's amazing how many things just aren't that important to your day.

5. You become more familiar with all of Scripture.  Bottom line, the devil does not like Scripture quoted at him.  When we are tempted, or struggling, we often pray and ask for prayer.  This is very valuable, but another thing Christ did was fight Satan with TRUTH -- fight fire with fire!  

Some more benefits of being familiar with ALL of Scripture...
- The Holy Spirit often speaks to us through his Word, so how much more important is it to actually know all of his Word?  
- After completing the Bible in 90 Days program, I found that I was more apt to know if someone was taking a verse out of context.

- Besides hearing it over and over, you actually know the WHOLE story and that God does, indeed, win. 

Bible in 90 Days

Three years ago, somewhere in the blogosphere, I heard about the Bible in 90 Days program organized specifically for moms.  It was hosted by Amy Gross on her website, Moms Toolbox.

I had tried multiple times to read through the Bible with no success, and was really interested in a program where other moms were encouraging each other.  Let’s face it, as a mom, who really has the time to do something like read through the Bible in 90 days? 

I was just a mother of two girls under the age of 3, but other women were raising large families, homeschooling, going through pregnancies and miscarriages, struggling with sicknesses and deaths in the family.  I knew that if all these women could power forwards, so could I.  Some days I got ahead, and some days I got behind, but in the end, I finished the program 4 days early.

I am lucky enough to share a city with Amy Gross and have had the opportunity to form a relationship with her.  She has come to speak at my MOPS group two times, and last week I had the honor of attending a Bible in 90 Days luncheon as one of her guests. 

It was a HUGE commitment to read through the Bible the first go-around, and I knew that I would be back to the program in the Lord’s timing.  It was wonderful seeing all that the Lord is doing through the Bible in 90 Days ministry and the new direction it is heading as it merges with Spiritual Awakening. 

I now feel that nudge from the Lord to return to the program with many beloved friends.  I am starting a group for those interested in starting on January 6th.  What a better way to kick off the new year than with devouring God's words?  Accountability is key, and this group is the perfect way to stay on course.

If you are interested, let me know.  And don't forget to invite other friends who may want to join, as well.  I know this is a goal many have.  A group really helps see you all the way through, and I would love to provide the chance for women all over to see the blessings that come from reading the Bible in 90 days!

First Day of School

Last Friday was our first day of our homeschooling group.  Oh, how wonderful it was to be back!  I'm glad we could still have some "first day" excitement with new backpacks, new outfits, nervousness, and looking forward to seeing old friends.

This will be our second year to participate in a local Classical Conversations (CC) program.  It has been the perfect offering for us in this stage of life.  It promotes community, Godly characteristics, and an excellent foundation.  It is the only program in our area that invites participation for 4 year olds.  Last year, we were desperate to meet others on this journey and to start making homeschooling friends.  The basic program meets every Friday from 9-12, with the option for more after lunch.  A parent is required to stay on campus, which really promotes the community.  Families really get to know each other, as this isn't a drop-off program.  There is even a nursery for the younger ones, which is such a blessing for Olivia, as she feel she goes to "school" as well.

Days start with a group meeting, announcements, and the pledge.  We break into smaller groups for memory work, fine arts, science, and presentations.  Every week last year, Emily got up in front of her class and gave a presentation.  I just wonder what this will do for her public speaking skills!  Hopefully, it won't ever seem as intimidating as it does at times for her parents.  Many people take this program and extend it out all week.  We strictly use it as supplement -- I have all my curriculum picked out, outside of CC that I want to keep using.  Whatever she learns and retains there is icing on the cake.  It is nice to, at least, have science and fine arts once a week.  Sometimes these go by the wayside here.  They do hands on science experiments, and that NEVER happens here.

I am "tutoring" this year, as that is what they call the teacher.  We had to get there early so I could set up the board.  I had grand plans to take beautiful first day of school pics, but I have decided that young kids are the worst subjects.  I started with James -- bad idea.  Then Olivia -- bad idea, again.  In a time crunch, I scrapped pictures for later in the day.  We ended up taking them inside the beautiful gym with that horrible gym lighting.  UGH.  Oh, well.  At least the sun wasn't in their eyes?

Success in Parenting

The summer is really hard for me around here.  Although we had fun at the pool and getting to travel some, I still miss all the activities we are a part of during the school year.  I miss the consistency and the women who are constantly bringing me up and holding me accountable.  

Yesterday, I started a quick book before Bible studies and fall activities started back up. It's in the Women of Faith series and called Managing Your Mood.  Hmm.  The exact thing I need right now.  Maybe some of you can relate?  I think we would all like to assume that once our children outgrow the toddler/preschool stage, there will be no more fits going on in our house, but then something deep inside me laughs at that thought.

So, this morning I was reading and here is what it said.  Geez.  This is SOOOOO true for me, and I am now realizing how sad it is...

And though numerous emotions flit through our hearts every day, one feeling is esteemed more than all the others -- happiness.  We really don't mind what God has planned for us, so long as we are guaranteed happiness in the midst of it.  We want to live happily ever after.  And what keeps us happy?  When things go our way.  When everything runs smoothly in the direction we had hoped it would go, we are able to maintain a pleasant frame of mind.  No bumps.  No interruptions.  No inconveniences.

This speaks to me so much as a parent.  Geez!  The days I view as successful (which I translate currently to a happy day, a day where God was obviously in control of our house and our emotions) are the days where nothing goes wrong.  The schedule runs as planned, the kids don't fight (as much), and there are no challenges.  If things don't go as planned, I often toss that day up as a loss.  "Well, there is always tomorrow, right?"

Hmmm.  No challenges?  No growing?  No testing?  No need to show patience?  No need to display the character of God to my children?

Wow.  I have so much to work on!

Here is to all those bad days -- the days we are about to lose it, the days that are truly from God to provide us the chance to cultivate a heart of Christ in our children.  Those days are really what being a parent is all about!

Day 17: No tears.

As much as I absolutely adore this little boy, the past 11 months have been a little rough.  He just cries so much.  We are to the point that I don't care what mess he is making, as long as tears aren't being shed.  Those are blissful moments!

Day 14: Best friends

You know, a life without a best friend is a hard one.  Seriously.  I lived it and it brought me to my knees.    I was surrounded by an awesome group of mothers in NC and the move back to Texas was a rough transition.  We got involved in some things, but I wasn't finding anyone to become fast friends with.  I prayed.  And cried.  And prayed some more.  Then the Lord placed the coolest person in my life.

Jenni is another homeschooling mom in my area.  She sent out an email to the neighborhood mother's group looking for other homeschooling families about a year and a half ago, right in the midst of my deep prayers.  What are the chances, right?  She has the sweetest 4 year old son, Joshua, and a little girly girl of a 2 year old, Gracie.  We have the best conversations and I always fulfill my laughter quota with her.  Did I mention she is way cool?  Our children have a soft spot for each other, as well...

Day 8: Our backyard swing set

The first year and a half we lived in this house, I didn't think anything of our backyard.  It was blah and I didn't think there was much we could do to help it.  We slowly started replacing some of the previous owners decor out there, added some potted plants, and built a swing set.  I have been amazed at the little sanctuary it has become.  We have so much fun playing out back now and we are out there multiple times every day.  I am so thankful for the great memories that are being built and the sweet pictures opportunities it provides!

Day 4: Sweet Baby James

Oh, sweet baby James.  How I love this boy!  Every day I stare at him in awe because I truly didn't think we would ever have any boys.  I prayed for this little boy for over two years and, sure enough, the Lord gave me what I asked.  10+ months in, and I still can't believe he is actually mine!  He has been such a blessing to this family and I cannot wait to see him become a stronger part of it.  And he definitely has a sweet spot for his mommy -- he loves my kisses and just resting his head against me.  I am very much enjoying having a little cuddler.  Plus, it is nice to bring in some cars and dinosaurs and lots of the color blue.


I need to start praying diligently, again, for a brother!